1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a system and method for supervising a plurality of image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, duplicators, facsimile apparatuses, etc., by using a central supervisory apparatus having a computer connected to image forming apparatuses via a communications line, a plurality of communications adopters, and wireless or wired private use interfaces. In particular, the present invention relates to a central supervising apparatus capable of remotely downloading firmware to an applicable image forming apparatus based upon updated hardware.
2. Discussion of the Background
In a background image forming apparatus supervisory system, it is well known that a plurality of image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, duplicators, facsimile apparatuses, etc., installed in a plurality of user destinations are connected to a central supervisory apparatus (i.e., central system) disposed in a service center. In addition, it is also well known that the plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected to the central supervisory apparatus via a plurality of wireless or wired private use interfaces, a plurality of communications adopters remotely located at the user destinations, and a public communications line, or another line such as a dedicated communications line.
In another type of background image forming apparatus supervisory system, the central system monitors a firmware version of the image forming apparatus of the user destination so as to provide a user with suitable firmware when a prescribed specification is uniquely designed or designed around. In addition, the central system supervises an applicable image forming apparatus whose firmware is to be updated (i.e., version up) by downloading update firmware.
The above-described firmware may generally include a variety of image forming apparatus programs for controlling a variety of image forming apparatuses such as a standard construction image forming apparatus, and an optional construction image forming apparatus having an auto original document feeder, a sorter, a finisher, etc.
The central system generally stores, in its image forming apparatus supervisory database (DB), model/machine number information, firmware information such as a version of the firmware, optional construction data related to a plurality of remotely supervised image forming apparatuses, etc. However, the central system does not supervise information related to hardware such as a version of hardware (e.g. a control baseboard, a unit, a ROM, etc.). As a result, when a service person or service engineer (CE) exchanges prescribed hardware of an image forming apparatus and whose firmware is to be updated, but does not report the effect to an operator of the central system, supervisory information stored in the image forming apparatus supervisory DB does not conform to the information related to the prescribed hardware.
In addition, when updated firmware is later downloaded into the prescribed image forming apparatus for any reason (e.g. an application design is changed), the updated firmware will not conform to the currently mounted hardware, thereby causing a problem. To prevent such a problem, the CE generally calls on a user destination and researches a version of an applicable hardware before updating the firmware, thereby resulting in wasted time and labor. In addition, it is required for the center operator to perform remarkable labor, such as inputting of a search result by hand, when reporting to the central system. In addition, such an input could erroneously be performed.